Canva

[R C-R]

2 minutes ago, Chills said:

That isn't a serious question?

Completely serious. Are you claiming some sort of insider knowledge of what the government & its contractors are working on but not making available to the public? Or are you just guessing about it?

[Chills]

1 minute ago, R C-R said:

Completely serious. Are you claiming some sort of insider knowledge of what the government & its contractors are working on but not making available to the public? Or are you just guessing about it?

Yes and no.  I had, until I retired a year ago, a specialist electronics and software company that supplied to List-X companies.
There is a vast amount that is not in the consumer world.

[R C-R]

1 minute ago, Chills said:

There is a vast amount that is not in the consumer world.

So what does that have to do with the use of AI technology by consumers? Do you have even a shred of evidence that what you (I assume) supplied to your "List-X companies" used some sort of AI technology or was adapted to use it if it was not?

This whole thing begins to sound increasingly farfetched & contradictory the more you say about it, particularly your insistence that there is nothing new about how it is being used, either by governments, consumers, or whatever. There is ample evidence that it is being used in new ways in many different fields, graphics being just one of them.

[SallijaneG]

3 hours ago, R C-R said:

There is much more to it than just the hardware. The most significant changes are the new & innovative algorithms used to train the AI's to recognize objects & the sizes of the datasets the AI's are trained on, which are massively larger than even just a few years ago.

So no, AI's could not previously do what they can do now by using these new algorithms & these increasingly massive datasets.

Moreover, there is every reason to assume they will continue to get better at object detection at an ever increasing rate, & even begin to be able to identify things like shadows  & reflections that are not in the normal sense objects.

My biggest concern is the amount of energy it needs and the cost, both financial and environmental—including environmental justice issues—that it will require.  (EJ in terms of both dirty generation in EJ communities and redirecting of affordable energy away from working-/middle-class communities.)

(Have I mentioned that I am not a great capitalist?)

[R C-R]

47 minutes ago, SallijaneG said:

My biggest concern is the amount of energy it needs and the cost, both financial and environmental—including environmental justice issues—that it will require.  (EJ in terms of both dirty generation in EJ communities and redirecting of affordable energy away from working-/middle-class communities.)

I am not sure what you mean by EJ communities vs. other types of (economic?) communities but there are many concerns about how AI technology will be deployed & used, by whom, & for what purposes. Among other things it no longer takes the resources of a government or large corporation to use it for nefarious purposes.

[SallijaneG]

On 9/18/2024 at 6:59 PM, R C-R said:

I am not sure what you mean by EJ communities vs. other types of (economic?) communities but there are many concerns about how AI technology will be deployed & used, by whom, & for what purposes. Among other things it no longer takes the resources of a government or large corporation to use it for nefarious purposes.

Sorry, environmental justice—I should have formally defined that.  In the U.S. at least, and likely overseas with possible different criteria, communities that are largely folks who make low incomes, whether very rural or urban communities, often but not always people of the global majority (Black and Brown), where projects such as incinerators and gas-fired power plants are often located.  Example from history, the film COOKED: Survival by ZIP Code, about the 1995 heat wave that killed more than 700 people in Chicago, largely Black, elderly, and in what is now often called “environmental justice” neighborhoods.  We didn’t do much better, if at all, with COVID-19—essential workers, often from EJ communities with jobs that could not be done from home, often using public transportation, were hardest hit.  I fear these people being deprived of energy to feed expanding AI—if not directly, being priced out.

[henryanthony]

On 9/18/2024 at 6:01 PM, SallijaneG said:

My biggest concern is the amount of energy it needs and the cost, both financial and environmental—including environmental justice issues—that it will require.  (EJ in terms of both dirty generation in EJ communities and redirecting of affordable energy away from working-/middle-class communities.)

(Have I mentioned that I am not a great capitalist?)

This just in from Bloomberg: The owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania will invest $1.6 billion to revive it, agreeing to sell all the output to Microsoft Corp. as the tech titan seeks carbon-free electricity for data centers to power the artificial intelligence boom.

[SallijaneG]

2 hours ago, henryanthony said:

This just in from Bloomberg: The owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania will invest $1.6 billion to revive it, agreeing to sell all the output to Microsoft Corp. as the tech titan seeks carbon-free electricity for data centers to power the artificial intelligence boom.

This is a big problem for residents there; I work with folks on decommissioning issues, and we are all concerned that there are plans to keep old, embrittled reactors open for decades after end of design life.  Residents have good reason not to trust the NRC; I recommend watching the film Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island (https://radioactivethefilm.com).

The investor community is salivating over new small modular reactors, even though the only company that had a model approved, NuScale Power, had most of its potential customers drop out because of delays and cost (https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/nuscale-power-uamps-agree-terminate-nuclear-project-2023-11-08/). 

Edited September 20, 2024 by SallijaneG
include link to film’s Web site

[bici]

So I just found about this today: 

In 2014, Guy  Kawasaki  resurrected the title “chief evangelist” and joined a Sydney-based company called Canva. 

10 years now! 

[PaulEC]

On 3/26/2024 at 8:08 AM, Ash said:

Additionally we will be setting up a Q&A session about this acquisition in a few weeks time. More info on how to take part in this will be sent on email and posted on this forum in the coming days.

Did this ever happen? If so, I missed it! Is there a transcript or a recording of it available somewhere?

[bbrother]

8 hours ago, PaulEC said:

Did this ever happen? If so, I missed it! Is there a transcript or a recording of it available somewhere?

I will tell you a secret but don't spread it over to others and maybe sit down because it might shock you. That Q&A session was a bluff to calm down the anxiety.🤭

[PaulEC]

I wasn't really expecting much, especially as Ash hasn't even visited the forums since June! 

[Chills]

3 hours ago, bbrother said:

I will tell you a secret but don't spread it over to others and maybe sit down because it might shock you. That Q&A session was a bluff to calm down the anxiety.🤭

I suspect he may have meant it when he said it but...   Things have probably been moving and changing a lot.  So any Q&A on a moving target would have been pointless. 

Added to which, having seen this sort of thing before, whilst Ash might have wanted to do it, and as Serif would have done it, Canva PR-Media team will have got involved and wanted to micromanage.  They move slower and with the changes mentioned above what Ash envisaged and where Canva PR were heading the lot ended up in the long grass.   There will be a Q&A but you can bet it will be a safe corporate one in months time not weeks.

 

[influxx]

What I don't get is why. Its like Ferrari and Fischer Price getting together. "Users of both parties will win. Ferrari owners can get access to those cute primary colored plastic three wheelers, and Fischer Price gets access to performance car technology. Win win"

How?

Canva is a toy that used by idiots in human resources or accounting, so they can proudly say "heres a presentation I designed" and they can proudly add 'graphic design' to their resume skill set. How do I know? Because I get those crappy designs sent to me to base a video or animation on. "We have a Canva (that Margory in accounts put together) and we need a social media video (??) made from it"

And I've worked in a city department (parks & rec) where the dum dums at reception fool around with Canva and put out the city's instagram posts.

These people are not interested in pro design, or pro design tools. They want stupid little AI widgets that make their small minded ideas come to life with no skill on their part.

Design has been democratized to the point of extinction. The only people who care about good design any more are other designers. Mediocrity at the speed of business.

So I dont get how the crossover between the tools or the companies or the user base works. As a designer I dont want the stupid AI clip art gadget gizmos in dumbed-down consumer software. And the dum dums at city hall have no idea what pro design is or what pro design tools do.

So whats the pay off? What does Ferrari really get from Fischer Price, and vice versa.

[Tickedon]

5 hours ago, influxx said:

These people are not interested in pro design, or pro design tools. They want stupid little AI widgets that make their small minded ideas come to life with no skill on their part.

Design has been democratized to the point of extinction. The only people who care about good design any more are other designers. Mediocrity at the speed of business.

So I dont get how the crossover between the tools or the companies or the user base works. As a designer I dont want the stupid AI clip art gadget gizmos in dumbed-down consumer software. And the dum dums at city hall have no idea what pro design is or what pro design tools do.

So whats the pay off? What does Ferrari really get from Fischer Price, and vice versa.

If you go back far enough, only individuals who could hunt could eat. Now it's democratised to the point anyone can go to the supermarket or a restaurant and eat. 

That's progress. The same as expanding who can produce "good enough" graphics for social media or the local fair. 

[Meliora spero]

Anyone can buy a coin offer or a microwave meal for two dollars and say they've tasted food. And any company can make it. That’s where Canva positions itself. And that becomes the life of the majority—living in their IKEA-furnished homes decorated with trinkets from Temu.

The most unremarkable life with no peaks or valleys. Until, eventually, there aren’t enough resources for everyone.

“Enough” in “good enough” has always ruined that little phrase. There’s a built-in guarantee that enough won’t be enough, given small changes. And those are guaranteed too.

[kaffeeundsalz]

11 hours ago, influxx said:

So whats the pay off? What does Ferrari really get from Fischer Price, and vice versa.

I would probably choose less harsh words to describe it, but I basically share your observation that Canva is mostly used by people who have no idea about design. That probably their USP: democratising design, as you and others have pointed out. The part that I don't agree with is where you say professional design is going extinct. There will always be people who value good design and who are willing to pay for it. Professional design won't disappear so quickly.

It seems that the people at Canva think so, too. At least that would explain the acquisition: They already have their share in the amateur sector. Now they want to expand their customer base to professional designers as well. I don't know to what extent that's true. But it makes perfect sense to me.

[AlainP]

All of the above remind me of so many misguided and unfounded statements over the years. Man will never fly, a motor cars will never replace a horse, video discs then video tapes will kill cinema and movies. There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home. The Internet is just a passing fad. People will never want to shop online, and so more.

C'mon, we all survived and have better tools that make our jobs and life easier, amateurs and pros.

And with all the money and ressources Canva have, they probably know what they are doing.

[Alfred]

29 minutes ago, AlainP said:

There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.

I read something recently, probably a description of the huge amount of computing power that went into the making of Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King, that reminded me of the story about Thomas Watson, head of IBM at the time, stating in 1943 that he believed there was a world market for “maybe five computers”.

[Bound by Beans]

You often debate like extremists – out at the edges of the topic and with the simplest of analogies. There’s no greater disservice to facts than avoiding the essentials.

Customer skepticism is natural and well-founded. A company that tried to develop software for competent creatives who can and want to use many tools is bought by a company that makes software for a completely different audience. Where will that leave Affinity and people’s primary tool?

And frankly, I’m also sick of the uniformity and lack of imagination in so much design as it often evolves. I’m nourished by aesthetics, experimentation, talent, inspiration, combinations, and variation. It’s about living, being nourished, delighted, inspired, pampered. Not just surviving.

I can’t think of anything that reflects the wildest, most enigmatic, and matchless aspects of human potential and imagination like design and music. When the unique must give way to the mass-produced, life becomes less of the experience I long for mine to be.

[loukash]

2 hours ago, AlainP said:

There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.

Hey, I just spent the half last weekend at home using computers to solve a problem that I would have never had if there were no computers at my home…

[Chills]

10 minutes ago, loukash said:

Hey, I just spent the half last weekend at home using computers to solve a problem that I would have never had if there were no computers at my home…

Not true.   A dumb terminal, a modem and a main frame computer somewhere else, which is how we did it in the 1970s

[pixelstuff]

18 hours ago, influxx said:

What I don't get is why. Its like Ferrari and Fischer Price getting together.

The analogy is flawed. Mattel getting together with Hotwheels, Fisher Price, and Mega Bloks is probably be a more apt analogy. Basically it is because Mattel wants to expand their audience and market outside of where they already had experience.

[R C-R]

3 hours ago, Bound by Beans said:

A company that tried to develop software for competent creatives who can and want to use many tools is bought by a company that makes software for a completely different audience.

If you really want to get an insight about what Canva's audience is try Googling "Who uses Canva?" or the like. It is a surprisingly diverse group of users.

[influxx]

On 4/29/2025 at 5:47 AM, AlainP said:

And with all the money and ressources Canva have, they probably know what they are doing.

Hahaha yeah thats what we said when Adobe bought out Macromedia